Let’s face it, most people don’t book bands on a regular basis, and your wedding isn’t necessarily the best time to start learning the ropes!
To help you in the quest for the perfect entertainment for your big day, we thought we’d try to dispel some of the common myths and stereotypes that might be putting you off taking the plunge and booking a wedding band.
1. Bands are too loud
The last thing anyone wants on their big day is their guests being blasted out by the band playing too loud. This can be a particular problem if you book a band that predominantly play in pubs and clubs rather than private functions.
However, an experienced wedding band will be able to regulate their volume to suit both the venue and the crowd. After all, wedding audiences tend to be all ages. We know it’s not our gig – it’s your wedding – so we’ve learned how to control our volume without compromising on our performance.
2. Hiring a band is too expensive
Everyone has their own view on what is ‘too expensive’, but with the average UK wedding costing around £20,000 it is easy to book a great professional wedding band that won’t make a huge dent in the budget.
We’ve blogged previously on how much a wedding band costs, and if you follow some of our suggestions you will be able to book a professional wedding band for around £1000. Our best tips are:
- Book directly. By booking directly with the band rather than using an agency or promoter you can save up to 25% in agents fees;
- Book local. Bands have the same overheads as any other business, and travel costs time and money. Finding a local act means you will avoid paying out loads in additional travel costs;
- Remember, size matters! The maths is quite straightforward, the more musicians in the band, the more there are to pay, and the higher the fee. Look for a 4-5 piece band to keep costs under control.
3. Bands take up too much space
Again, this is really one of those situations where size matters! Four example, as a four-piece band we only require a 4×3 metre space to set-up, and quite often we’ve had to fit into much smaller. There have been plenty of gigs where we’ve been dwarfed by the DJ rig! After that we just need a couple of plug sockets and an audience!
4. If we have a band we can’t have a DJ
The only thing stopping you having both is space and budget, although you might want to consider if it’s value for money paying a DJ to only play for part of the evening around the band’s performance.
Many wedding bands will offer an additional DJ service which is a great solution to this problem. Our own service features a member of the band as DJ which we can offer for significantly less than a Wedding DJ would cost, and solves the question of where everyone will set up.
5. Bands are really unreliable
Ok, some musicians don’t do themselves many favours, there’s reason this perception exists. But if you’re dealing with an established and experienced wedding band, you’re dealing with a business like any other. It’s in their best interest to deliver you the best service possible, or they aren’t likely to stay around for very long.
If you want to get a feel for how experienced and reliable your wedding band is, ask if they have any testimonials or reviews from previous clients. You can also ask about their previous experience, or the venues they have played. We have testimonials from previous clients on our website, and we regularly blog about the weddings we perform at.
6. If I have a band I can’t have the music I want
A professional wedding band will have a very large repertoire of songs, and most will have them listed on their website. Ours is here. This is a great way to check if the band’s taste in music matches yours! You’ll also find most bands will be happy to discuss the sort of music you want and tailor their set list accordingly. Many will also learn specific songs for you – although some may charge for this service.
7. Aren’t wedding bands just a bit cheesy?
The days of wedding bands basically being four guys in dress shirts and dickie bows are long gone (unless that’s what you actually like…). There’s a huge range of options available covering every conceivable style of music. If you can imagine it, there’s probably someone, somewhere, prepared to come to your wedding and play it; and a good wedding band will be adaptable. We’ve played jazz standards at country house weddings, foot stomping folk at barn weddings, and massive indie tunes at festival weddings.
So that’s a few wedding band myths busted; and, remember, most bands want you to book them and have a great time. They want to put on the best show they can. If you have any questions or worries, talk to your wedding band and you’ll usually find they’ll be only too happy to offer advice. Good luck!
Wedding Band York 